The Power Rangers Jason David Frank, Dead by Suicide at 49
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Jason David Frank, who began as the Green Power Ranger on the long running Power Rangers series is dead by suicide.
He was 49 years old.
Frank — one of the original “Power Rangers” — has died … TMZ has learned.
The actor and mixed martial artist died in Texas, according to his rep Justine Hunt. Sources with direct knowledge tell us his death was the result of suicide.
JDF is best known as Tommy Oliver from the original run of the “Mighty Morphin Power Rangers” franchise, dating back to the kids series’ debut in 1993 … when he was introduced as one of six crime/monster-fighting superheroes, masked head to toe with kung-fu skills.
Fans will remember … he started out as the Green Ranger in Season 1, introduced at first as an enemy of the Power Rangers — only to do a 180 and become good. After his powers start to deteriorate, however, he’s turned into the White Ranger … and tapped as the new leader of the group. Frank starred as one of the leads for 3 seasons, totaling 123 episodes.
Frank went on to reprise his role as Tommy in several adaptions of ‘Power Rangers’ — including ‘Wild Force,’ ‘Turbo,’ ‘Zeo,’ ‘Dino Thunder,’ ‘Megaforce,’ ‘Ninja Steel,’ ‘HyperForce,’ and more. He’s been a Red Ranger, a Black Ranger and a Green Ranger anew. JDF is a fan favorite Power Ranger … which is why he’s returned to the franchise time and again.
His onscreen fighting abilities translated into the real world … Frank was a professionally trained MMA brawler, who was well-versed in everything from Taekwondo, Muay Thai, Judo, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and others. He fought professionally for a time from 2008 to 2010.
He’s survived by his four children.
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Justine Hunt, Frank’s manager, said in a statement Sunday that Frank passed away. She did not name the cause of death or say when he died, but asked for “privacy of his family and friends during this horrible time as we come to terms with the loss of such a wonderful human being.”
Walter Emmanuel Jones, the original Black Power Ranger who co-starred with Frank in “Mighty Morphin Power Rangers,” wrote on Instagram, that he couldn’t believe it. “My heart is sad to have lost another member of our special family,” wrote Jones. Thuy Trang, who played the original Yellow Power Ranger, died in a car accident in 2001 at age 27.
“Mighty MorphinPower Rangers,” about five teenagers deputized to save Earth from evil, debuted on Fox in 1993 and went on to become a pop-culture phenomenon. Early in the first season, Frank’s Tommy Oliver was first seen as a villain, brainwashed by the evil Rita Repulsa. But soon after, he was inducted in the group as the Green Ranger and became one of the most popular characters on the show.
Though his role wasn’t intended to be permanent, Frank was later brought back as the White Ranger and the leader of the team. Across spinoff TV series, Frank’s Tommy Oliver returned as other rangers, as well, including Red Zeo Ranger, the Red Turbo Ranger and the Black Dino Ranger. He also played him in the films “Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: The Movie” and “Turbo: A Power Rangers Movie,” and made a cameo in the 2017 reboot “Power Rangers.”
A practitioner of martial arts, Frank fought in several mixed martial arts bouts in 2009 and 2010.
TMZ earlier reported that Frank’s second wife, Tammie Frank, filed for divorce from him in August. Frank is survived by four children; one from his marriage with Tammie Frank and three from his first marriage to Shawna Frank.
